Giulia Bongiorno, a lawyer for Sollecito, said that what had been so far only a defense theory -- claiming that there was a risk of contamination and that DNA traces were too low to be attributed with certainty -- has now been certified by independent experts.

Five other former Madoff employees, including former Madoff operations director Daniel Bonventre and longtime back-office employees JoAnn "Jodi" Crupi and Annette Bongiorno , also have been charged criminally.

Missing remains With its bizarre mix of celebrity and ghoulish mischief, the case of Mike Bongiorno's body has provided a sideshow to the more sensational sex scandals and murder investigations dominating recent news here.

The American-born Bongiorno, who pioneered the quiz show on Italian TV and was beloved for his verbal gaffes, was proposed as a senator-for-life in 2002, though he didn't actually become an Italian citizen until the following year.

Five other former Madoff employees, including former operations director Daniel Bonventre and longtime "back office" employees JoAnn "Jodi" Crupi and Annette Bongiorno , also have been charged criminally.